We paid less than that for ALL of this year’s books.
My English class alone required 4 books… :-S I’ll update when my science book is posted.
IIRC, my AP Physics book (book - singular) was about $175.00 Yikes!!! And that was after scouring the internet.
My d’s b school bookstore sells used as well as new and so far we have not had to buy very many new books, and she sells the used books back to the store at the end of the semester. Surprised more bss don’t do this. It really helps!
We haven’t noticed a huge price difference between new and used. Amazon new was cheaper than Classbook used.
Dropped $440 on books last evening for 10th grader. And that’s with 2 of his classes having no text (history and art are faculty-provided e-books). Chemistry was the most expensive, followed by Spanish. Also, not a textbook but still required - the $100 TI84 calculator. Gack!
Daughter spent $30 on used books this year. Best score was a $160 text book that a schoolmate bartered for P-sub (Which is a subbing a chore for a couple of hours). I highly recommend contacting schoolmates to trade and buy books. She got lots of amazing offers.
I pay my son a 10% commission on any money he saves me on school books. So if he sells them back at the end of the year, I give him 10% of that. And if he buys a textbook from a friend who’s done with the book, I pay him back for what he spent plus give him 10% of the difference between that price and what it would have cost to buy it new through the service the school uses. Free market capitalism at its finest!
Stargirl, I absolutely know what you say about those books. The history two are absolutely outrageous!
I think it’s great that you are doing it yourself. My DS has no clue and just expects the books to be waiting for him when he arrives. I wish he was looking for ways to make this cheaper!
@stargirl3: Are you sure the terms of your scholarship don’t either include books outright or a stipend for them? Choate either provides them via the FA library or covers the cost via the scholarship. I think it’s rather disingenuous of a school to offer a student a full ride and then expect them to pay hundreds of dollars for books.
@ChoatieMom We will be reimbursed for books, although we’re still shopping around.
I do appreciate the way Solebury handles the purchase of books. The cost of the books are included in the tuition. During check in day we go pick up the books, when we check out at the book store counter, the cost is Deducted from the credit that your account has at the school book store. At the end of the four years…whatever money is left over, you get it back. They also buy back books in June. Helps so much
^The cynic in me thinks that probably works in the school’s favor. Since it is “included” but really a credit, families might be less likely to bargain hunt for books somewhere other than the campus bookstore. It makes it seem like its not real money you are spending when its deducted from an account. Same thing with the plans that let your kids charge food at the snack bar or buy treats at the school store, deducting from the account mom and dad funded. Doesn’t phase the student as much as taking that $20 bill out of the wallet.
I think most schools buy back books but what they give you back is paltry, often less than 25 percent of the original price. My kids found it more win/win to cut out the bookstore and buy and sell between members of their dorm or friends.
@doschicos it may work in the schools favor but I like it. We can definitely get books at other places but since this is part of the tuition…I enjoyed the ease of it. I don’t have to worry about the $$$ for books come August. With three kids, that’s a blessing. If you don’t use the funds, it’s returned to you. Last year there were a few books that my daughter didn’t need (we had them) so that money wasn’t deducted from our account. Easy…Saves my sanity. 8-}
@stargirl3 - Wait a minute. How can a school expect a full ride to cough up that much money in advance for books? It’s an enormous expense for FP parents! I’ve never heard of a boarding school placing that kind of burden on a family requiring full FA. That’s ridiculous… even if it will be reimbursed down the road. Are you sure?
@NYCMomof3 - As a parent who has purchased a ton of BS books, I would’ve loved that arrangement . 
And I shopped every single book for the best price!
@PhotographerMom We had the option to purchase directly through Classbook, but we chose to go cheaper through Amazon and get reimbursed after.
The main reason we choose Classbook is the delivery.
By the time, we shop around on other sites, spend time searching for books we can’t find, pay shipping from the various sites AND THEN pay to get the books to school (either UPS from home or excess baggage on the flight), it just isn’t worth the extra work. Any savings we get are eaten up by the other costs. By using Classbook, my order was complete in about 10 minutes and my kid picks her books up at school at check-in. Done. So much easier… and (for us!) the same approximate overall cost.
Obviously, the best way to save is to purchase from older students (or inherit them!), but then you have to remember where you put them over summer! LOL
PS @stargirl3 I can’t imagine spending my own good money and waiting to get it back months from now…even if reimbursed, I wouldn’t want to have to find the money to spend in the first place. To each his own!
My point is: A full ride should not be PURCHASING anything upfront at all. What did they ask you to do? Submit a receipt when you arrive on campus and they’ll cut you a check? That’s insane. Do you have to pay for your trips and computer upfront, too?
@PhotographerMom @london203 We’re doing it in a way that works for us. I don’t have to worry about how heavy the books are since we’re driving, and I also wanted to flip through them before I get to school.
I’m sorry but I thought schools with huge endowments provided a full ride student with online vouchers or a code… Or the FA office who would order everything the student needed and place it on their bed.
Times have changed!